


His Last Gift

by Aurelien_Guillory



Category: Vampire Knight (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, F/M, Moving On, Reminiscing, Self-Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 21:52:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12442545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurelien_Guillory/pseuds/Aurelien_Guillory
Summary: [Repost from FF.Net] (AU, based on Chapter 93 of manga) - Seeing her so fragile and small within his arms, a part of him was reluctant to leave her behind. However, he knew that his sacrifice to become the Parent Metal was necessary and inevitable. This is something that only he, the last remaining Pureblood ancestor, can do. This is his fate... "I am sorry, Yuuki. I lied."





	1. His Last Gift

**Author's Note:**

> In order for the story to be clear, a few things to note before you read it:  
> 1) Kirei is the name that I had given to the Hooded Woman in the manga.
> 
> 2) In this story, Kaname and Yuuki did not sleep together like they did in Chapter 89 of the manga. So, don't expect them to have a child together in this story.
> 
> 3) There is no chance for Kaname to be revived in this story.
> 
> If you can't accept the last two points, I would advise you not to read this.

* * *

_Kirei, you once told me that we were born this way for a reason._

_I now know the reason for my existence and my purpose for being awakened in this era of time._

_It is so that when you are tired and can no longer hold on as the Parent metal ... when the time has come for you to rest in eternal peace, I will be the one to succeed you in giving the Hunters, no ... in giving humanity another long period of tranquility as both races tried to reach the true state of coexistence._

_It took me some time to realize this._

_At first, I thought that the purpose of my existence is for Yuuki's sake, for giving her happiness._

_Thus, I wish to spend an eternity together with her._

_When I realized that she had never smiled from the bottom of her heart ever since she was with me..._

_When I know that I could never give her true happiness, I resolved in finding the right opportunity to turn her into a human so that she could be with Zero._

_It was also during this time that I had fully remembered all of my past memories._

_From regaining those memories, I came to realize one thing that I had been too blind to notice sooner. It is that Zero is similar to me, while Yuuki is similar to you. Like myself, Zero was born and bound to a fate that he didn't want and couldn't control. Suffering from such fate and having given up on the hope of achieving happiness, it is Yuuki who had supported and cared for the young Hunter, much like how you had cared for me in the past. In other words, Zero and Yuuki are supposed to be together in this era, while I am not supposed to even exist in this time._

_If Rido hadn't awakened me from my slumber, none of the incidents that had happened until now will occur._

_However, what happened had already happened. It can't be changed._

_All I hope to do now is to help Yuuki realize where her heart truly belongs._

_Yes, I do love and care for her, but she will never truly be happy with me._

_However, if she was with Zero, I am sure that she will achieve true happiness._

_As her older brother and as someone who loves her, I wish nothing more than for her to be happy._

_That's why I am more certain of this path that I had chosen._

_Now, the time has come for everything to be the way they are supposed to be._

* * *

History was repeating itself... but he knew that it was done out of necessity.

Ever since Kirei's consciousness as the Parent of the anti-vampire weapons had been put to rest after nearly ten thousand years, the Hunters had lost a majority of their source of power, which consisted of anything that had been forged from the Parent metal. Even for the few remaining anti-vampire weapons, such as the Bloody Rose and Artemis, it will only be a matter of time before those weapons crumbled into pieces. If that were to happen, it will be disastrous for both the Hunters and Humans as there will be nothing left for them to defend themselves against the Purebloods, who had been wishing to be free to do as they please. Moreover, all of the efforts and sacrifices that had been put forth in order to achieve the dream of a peaceful coexistence would have been in vain.

He, Kuran Kaname, will definitely not let that happen.

He had owed too many things to far too many people and this was the least he can do to repay them.

Without any hesitation, Kaname tore out his beating heart and dropped it into the burning flames of the furnace. The flames flickered wildly as his heart was slowly being integrated with the metals within the furnace. As he watched his heart continue to regenerate every time it was consumed by the flame, Kaname felt an unbearable searing pain coursing throughout his body. Eventually, his legs gave way and he fell to his knees on the floor in front of the furnace.

**_This unbearable pain... Kirei, is this what you were feeling at that time?_ **

"Kaname..." came a familiar and beseeching voice from behind him.

Weakly, he turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder and he saw Yuuki standing by the doorway, looking fearful and anxious. Not long after Yuuki's arrival, Zero had also reached the furnace room and from the look of surprise on his face, he must have known what Kaname had done.

"This can't be... You..." muttered Zero in disbelief. He then looked away in exasperation and exclaimed, "This shouldn't be happening!"

Hearing what Zero had said, Kaname wanted to smile and tease the Hunter with mocking remarks, but he restrained himself. From the moment when they first met each other, the silver-haired Hunter had always hated him and wanted him dead. Therefore, it was unlike him to react this way now that Kaname was truly dying. However, the Kuran ancestor did know that things have slightly changed between them recently. Although Zero was still hostile towards him, it was much milder than before. Moreover, he was willing to leave his back to Kaname in battle and Kaname was willing to do the same to him during the confrontation with the opposing Purebloods.

Two nemeses leaving their backs to each other's care in battle.

In the past, it would have been an impossible scene as they could barely stand each other's presence, but it is truly happening now and Kaname had to admit that it was a pleasant change. Sometimes, it even made him wondered if he and Zero could have been friends if circumstances had allowed it. After all, Zero understood Kaname more than anyone else and vice versa. If he hadn't used Zero as a pawn in his plan of protecting Yuuki, could they have been on better terms with each other?

It was a bittersweet thought, but it no longer mattered now.

"Kaname!" yelled Yuuki as she immediately rushed to Kaname's side and placed her hand on his chest, where his heart should be. There was nothing but complete stillness, no signs of any heartbeat within his chest.

"Your heart..."

"It's inside," replied Kaname candidly as he stared listlessly into the flames of the furnace. "It's melting and then regenerating, over and over again within the furnace. It will no longer regenerate within me."

"No! We have to get it out!"

Yuuki then reached out towards the furnace, but Kaname held her back by the wrist.

"Yuuki," he called her name in a tender and yet, pain-filled voice before he wrapped his arms around her from her back and spoke close to her ears, "It's already too late. The core of my life had been shifted to within the furnace. Before long, this body will stop moving and I will lose my consciousness and live as the many weapons that will be created from this furnace."

"No, I don't want you to become like this."

Her voice was shaking and Kaname could feel her petite body trembling against his. Seeing her so fragile and small within his arms, a part of him was reluctant to leave her behind. However, he knew that his sacrifice to become the Parent metal was necessary and inevitable.

This is something that only he, the last remaining Pureblood ancestor, can do.

In the past, Kirei had prevented him from killing himself by taking his place as the sacrifice and became the first Parent metal for the Hunters. However, after ten thousand years, the role of being the Parent metal still fell upon him in the end.

Perhaps, this is what people called as 'Fate'.

This is his fate.

"Back then... you agreed to start over from the beginning ... with me," said Yuuki in between her sobs.

Yes, he did want to start over with her and be free of the heavy weights of his past life, but he couldn't. He couldn't escape from his past. No matter how hard he had tried to move forward into the present, he found himself rooted at the same spot in his past. This was proven by the fact that his fate had caught up to him even after ten thousand years had passed.

He just doesn't belong to this time.

"I am sorry, Yuuki. I lied."

At hearing that, she furiously wiped her tears away with the back of her hand as she said, "If only I wasn't born... If only I hadn't existed... None of this would have happened! "

Kaname knew that his decision and his words will make her cry, but this will be the last time she will ever experience grief because of him. When he was gone, Zero will be the one who mends Yuuki's broken heart and gives her the blissful life that she deserves. He believed, no... **he knew** that Zero could do it.

Throughout the time that he had spent at Cross academy, Kaname had not only been watching Yuuki. As much as he didn't want to, he had been watching Yuuki **and** Zero, who was always found close to the cheerful girl. He hadn't wanted to admit it at those times, but their radiance when they were together was always dazzling to his eyes. For him who didn't possess any of such radiance, he was attracted to the both of them and he found himself unable to look away.

He yearned for that light and he wanted to be a part of it.

Even though he knew that it was impossible.

Therefore, he wanted to tell them now... He wanted to tell both Zero and Yuuki his last words and his true feelings before he lost the chance to do so. He didn't wish to repeat the same mistake as he did with Kirei in the past, in which he was never be able to confess his feelings to her and in turn, he will never know her feelings towards him.

He doesn't want to leave with regrets.

"Yuuki," he spoke in a gentle tone, like he always does whenever he was talking to her. "Never regret your existence in this world."

Kaname remembered the time when he had first laid his eyes on the infant Yuuki, who was being cradled lovingly in Juuri's arms. At that time, she was like a tiny ray of sunlight that could penetrate the sea of darkness. Therefore, Kaname had sworn to himself that he will protect her until the very end.

"After you were born, there was never a single day that had passed in the Kuran manor, which wasn't filled with joy and laughter. You have brought so much happiness to mother, father and myself," Kaname paused and smiled as he recalled a five-year-old Yuuki clinging onto the sleeves of his clothes and smiling ever so brightly. "As the memories of my long and lonely past gradually returned to me, you are the ray of light that showed me the way. You're the only warmth I felt."

In those difficult times... If it wasn't because of Yuuki, he would have lost himself to the madness and despair, which was brought by the return of his past memories.

She saved him.

"When it was time to let you go, I thought that it would be enough if I could just watch over you from a distance. However... you, who lived as a human, had become a radiant existence that I constantly yearn from afar..." he closed his eyes and recalled an image of thirteen-year-old Yuuki, who was blushing whenever he patted her long hair. "... and I lost myself to my desires. Everything that came after the massacre of the Council of Ancients was supposed to happen after I turn you back into a human, but I made a mistake and I couldn't stop myself."

At that time, he couldn't bear to part with her and he wanted to spend an eternity with her.

For the second time in his long existence, he had wanted to live.

"To shake off those contradictions, I imposed many unreasonable demands on you and took away the smile that radiated from the bottom of your heart."

Due to his selfishness of wanting to be with her, Yuuki had become a still doll. She was unable to smile and be true to herself. He loves her so much and yet, he was the one who had ruined her the most.

"At the very end, I revealed my past to you to see if you would reject me or not."

He had expected her to leave him after knowing that he was not her actual brother or fiancée, but her ancestor. After all, there would be no strong ties to actually bind them together when this truth was revealed. Much to his surprise, she still loves him and chooses to be by his side. He was happy, of course, but it also made him hesitant in carrying out his plan in turning her into a human.

Thus, he continued to make one mistake after another...

"Don't say that everything is your fault, Yuuki. The fact that I decided to protect you and the fact that I made these mistakes... They are my choices, not yours, and I don't regret them. However..."

Kaname looked over his shoulder to stare at Zero. The Hunter held a sorrowful look on his face, which the Kuran ancestor thought was probably due to Yuuki's grief. Nonetheless, seeing Zero's current expression somehow made Kaname felt relieved in leaving Yuuki in his care. If he felt this much pain just from seeing Yuuki in sorrow, it was certain that he would do anything to protect her and to prevent her from ever feeling such sadness again.

"... I have to atone for all the sins that I have committed."

Shizuka, Hanadagi, Ichiru, Zero's parents... He had to atone for all those deaths that he had directly or indirectly caused and for the people that he had hurt and manipulated, which was far too many to count. Nonetheless, Zero was certainly one of the people that Kaname owed the most as he had ruined that young Hunter's whole life in order to shape him into becoming the perfect weapon and guard for Yuuki. Even if he wasn't dying, he doubted that he would able to compensate Zero for all that he had done to the silver-haired Hunter.

"You understand, don't you?" he asked Zero.

"...Yeah," the Hunter responded impassively after a brief pause.

"Even at this very instant, there's surely someone who had becomes another sacrifice," when Kaname said this, there was a remorseful glint in his wine-colored eyes. Hugging Yuuki tightly, he then added, "That's why, Yuuki, don't struggle to stop me anymore."

Like Kirei, Yuuki had done so much for him. Now, it was time for her to let him go and be free. Moreover, this life that he had, it had been a truly fulfilling one. In this life, he had parents who loved and cared for him as though he was their own son, true friends who were loyal to him and a nemesis that had not only constantly opposed him, but had taught him many lessons in life. To the Kuran ancestor, it was enough. He was contented to have live until now.

"I don't want this..." said Yuuki in between her falling tears. "I can't imagine a world where I can no longer hear your voice... I don't want to know..."

"Yuuki, I will say this once again," Kaname moved his arm to stroke the top of Yuuki's head before he continued, "The reason I do this is not because I didn't receive any happiness. It's because there's light at the end of this journey."

A light that he can reach out and grasp within his own hands.

In response to his statement, Yuuki can only cry harder as she burrowed her face on his chest. Even though she was reluctant to let him die, she knew that there was nothing more for her to say.

As Kaname had said earlier in the beginning, it is already too late.

"Bloody Rose is dying... Should I be thanking you?" asked Zero in a blunt tone as he couldn't stand the uncomfortable silence, which was only broken intermittently by Yuuki's weeping.

Kaname understood what the Hunter was saying. With him being the Parent metal, Bloody Rose could be reformed and it wouldn't have to crumble to pieces. Therefore, Zero was asking if he should be thanking Kaname for his sacrifice.

"However, I cannot forgive you for giving Yuuki sorrow and grief," added the Hunter with a hint of anger in his voice.

Hearing that, Kaname merely smiled as he raised his hand towards Zero. "That's fine."

Without warning, he suddenly wrapped his arm around Zero's waist and pulled him closer, while he used his other arm to pulled Yuuki closer. He could tell that his sudden action had surprised the both of them as he could feel their bodies tensed up within his hold. However, he wanted them to be close when he said this.

He wanted them to hear every single word that he has to say from that moment on.

While holding both of them close to him in a hug, he said in an unusually weary voice, "I... have always been gazing at the radiance of the two of you from afar. So, I have come to understand... that you two should be together."

Yuuki and Zero's eyes widened in surprise when they heard those words. Even so, Kaname continued to speak as he could feel his consciousness slipping away rapidly. His time was almost up, but there was only one sentence left to be said. The most important sentence.

"I want..." His lips curved up slightly to form a contented smile. "...you two to be together."

With that said, he closed his eyes and his hands slowly fell to his side, followed by his body slumping forward to lean against Yuuki's shoulder.

"Ka...name?" called Yuuki as she looked at Kaname's limp form in her arms with wide and shocked eyes.

Seeing her older brother's closed eyes and the barely noticeable smile on his face, Yuuki knew that he was truly gone. She will never see his warm smile or hear him calling her name in his usual gentle voice again. Filled with grief and regrets, Yuuki silently embraced her beloved brother's head as tears continued to flow freely from her auburn eyes. As for Zero, he held a pensive and sympathetic expression on his face as he watched the Kuran siblings from the side. Whether the sadness in his eyes was due to Yuuki's grief or was it because of Kaname's death, that was something that is left open to question.

A few moments later, Kaname's body shattered into numerous shards of crystal, much to Yuuki's dismay.

However...

Even though his physical body was no more, Kaname found himself standing near both Yuuki and Zero within the furnace room. Apparently, the transition of his consciousness between his physical body and his heart within the furnace had been instantaneous. Staring at both of his palms, he noticed that they appeared intangible and transparent to his eyes, much like how he had last seen Kirei in her corporeal form when she was the Parent metal. In a way, it could be said that he had died and was now a spirit that was eternally bound to the furnace. In order to prove his point, he tried to place his hand on Zero's shoulder. As he had expected, his hand easily went through the silver-haired Hunter's shoulder as though it was thin air and the Hunter was completely unaffected by that.

_**So, this is how it's like to be the Parent metal?** _

Kaname wondered as he stared at his hand, which had just gone through a living person's shoulder, inquisitively.

"Yuuki!"

Startled by Zero's surprised voice, Kaname looked up only to notice Yuuki's retreating back as she ran out of the furnace room. Knowing Yuuki, she must be attempting to do something reckless, such as fighting off the enemy Purebloods outside on her own. He can't let her endanger herself like that, especially when Artemis was already near its limit. Speaking of Artemis being at its limit, the same can be said for Zero's Bloody Rose as well ...

A spark of realization hit Kaname as he knew what he should do now.

Without a moment's hesitation, he directed his will towards the Bloody Rose in Zero's grip. Although this was the first time he had taken any action as the Parent metal, it didn't take him much effort to extend out a silver tendril from within the furnace, which then wrapped around the anti-vampire gun and wrenched it out of Zero's hand. Instinctively, Zero tried to retrieve the gun, but it was too late as the gun was already deep within the burning furnace. Being a vampire, the act of reaching into the furnace, which produced the banes of vampires, in order to retrieve the Bloody Rose would be a very foolish thing to do. Thus, all Zero could do was to stare helplessly at the roaring flames of the furnace.

"Calm down. I am going to reform Bloody Rose for you," said Kaname as he went to stand next to the distraught Zero. Noticing that Zero didn't respond to him, Kaname merely sighed.

"You can't hear me, can you?"

As expected, Zero didn't respond to his words. Well, he should have expected that much since he was already 'dead'. No one will ever hear or see him and that was how it will be from now on. It was something that he must get used to now that he had become the Parent metal. Still, it wouldn't hurt to speak out and pretend that he could be heard. Moreover, it would be much preferable than the cold silence of the room.

"Aside from the reformed Bloody Rose, there is something else that I want to give you," said Kaname as his sight was focused on the inner chamber of the furnace.

"And I won't take 'no' for an answer. You **will** accept this gift, whether you want it or not." With a faint smile on his face, he then turned his head to look at Zero. He placed his hand slightly above the Hunter's shoulder so as to have the impression that he was actually placing it on the younger man's shoulder.

"This will be my last gift to you."

As soon as Kaname said that, several metallic tendrils reached out from within the furnace and wrapped themselves around the bewildered Zero's right arm...

... and the rest is history.


	2. The Light at the End of the Journey

_Ever since the beginning, the three of us had been trapped within the perpetual darkness of an endless forest._

* * *

_"This will be my last gift to you."_

Zero's mauve purple eyes snapped open and his right hand was instantly raised in front of him, ready to call out Bloody Rose at a moment's notice. He was filled with confusion when he noticed that he was sitting at the mahogany desk in his office at the Association's headquarter, instead of being in the underground furnace room at Cross Academy.

**Dong...dong...dong...**

The grandfather clock in his office chimed thrice, signaling the current time to be midnight. It was only then did Zero realize that he had been dreaming earlier. He must have fallen asleep while reviewing the reports for the Hunters' Association, which explained the scattered paperwork on his desk. Nonetheless, the dream he had was not any random dream. It was a recollection of a past memory.

That's right.

Kuran Kaname had sacrificed his life to become the new Parent metal and Zero himself had gained greater power from the reformed Bloody Rose, which had integrated into his being and became an inseparable part of himself. With this newfound power, Zero had single-handedly ended the battle with the Purebloods at Cross Academy and thus, transient peace had once again returned to the world.

However, power was not the only thing that Kaname had given Zero.

A few months after the battle with the Purebloods, Zero realized that there was something different about himself. His thirst for blood was still present, but it was no longer as unmanageable as before. Moreover, he felt more ... in control of himself. It was an indescribable feeling. Nonetheless, he had went to seek for answers from Aidou Hanabusa, the self-proclaimed genius, who had then come up with the deduction that Zero's lifespan may have been lengthened through the complete assimilation of Bloody Rose into his being.

In other words, as long as Blood Rose remained intact, Zero will continue to live.

Although that was merely a speculation without the support of any solid evidences, Zero had believed it to be true. After all, there were no other explanations for his perfectly healthy mind and physical condition. In fact, he had never felt as fine as he was now, except for the time when he was still a human teenager... Perhaps, this was the meaning of the whispered words in the wind that he had heard on that day. This was his last gift to him. Zero chuckled at the thought. If that was true, he guessed he really should be thanking Kaname after all.

 _Well, without realizing it, it had already been 25 years since then_ , Zero thought wistfully.

With a soft sigh, he closed his eyes and rubbed the side of his head with one hand, while holding one of the reports with his other hand.

"Oh, you're still here?"

In response to the inquiring voice, Zero casually shifted his sight towards the mop of ash-brown hair that had peeked out from his opened office's door. Aside from Chairman Cross and his mentor, there was only one person who would intrude upon his office to check up on him from time to time. Coincidentally, this person was also one of the few people that Zero respects and trusts with his own life.

"Unfortunately, the reports won't get corrected by themselves, Kaito," said Zero in a matter-of-fact tone as he resumed looking through the report in his hand.

With a grin, Takamiya Kaito merely shook his head as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. Despite being at the age of forty-seven, he looked as though he was in his late thirties with a clean-shaven face and wearing a pair of thin-rimmed spectacles. This wasn't unusual as all Vampire Hunters possessed certain amount of vampire genes from their ancestors and the amount of vampire genes that they possessed allowed them certain extent of longevity, such as in the case of Cross Kaien, who could live for more than two hundred years and even now, still looked as though he was in his mid-twenties.

"Considering that it is already past midnight, today marks the first day of your official four-day leave. So, shouldn't you be heading home now?" asked Kaito as he headed to Zero's desk and picked up one of the reports for viewing. Seeing as Zero didn't answer him, he passed a brief glance at the silver-haired Hunter and said, "You know, **she** must also be missing you at home."

"Kaito," Zero spoke in an admonishing tone, which only made the older man sighed.

"Seriously, Zero, leave these work to me and go home," said the brown-haired Hunter as he placed the report on the desk and looked at Zero sternly.

"There's no need for that. I am almost done. Besides, as the president of the Association, I can't just drop my work halfway and leave," replied Zero bluntly, without looking away from the report in his hand.

Seeing that Zero had not looked at him throughout their conversation, Kaito snatched the report from Zero's hand as he said, " **This** is why you have me, your vice president, to assist you. I am here to manage the Association and to do these works for you when you are on leave."

Zero opened his mouth to retort, but he was interrupted by Kaito who said, "Unless, you don't think I can handle this and that I am not worthy of my current post in the Association?"

"Of course not."

"Then, good. This discussion is over," said Kaito resolutely with his arms crossed over his chest.

Be it in the past or the present, Kaito was the only person who will speak to him in such a casual and frank manner, regardless of his current status as the President of the Association and his grim reputation as a legendary vampire hunter. Other Hunters in the Association was merely afraid and wary of him, in which Zero don't blamed them. After all, not only was he an ex-human vampire with astonishing power, he shares an intimate relationship with Yuuki, who is the last of the Kuran Pureblood and the figurehead of the vampire society. It was no wonder that they were doubtful of his allegiance to the Association and in general, to humanity... Nonetheless, it was reassuring that Kaito didn't treat or look at him any differently than in the past.

"Thank you, Kaito."

"Geez, Zero. You're becoming as longwinded as that daughter-loving fool."

An amused smile crossed Zero's lips as he knew full well the person that Kaito was referring to.

"Anyway, you better go home now or I will kick you out of your own office."

Knowing that Kaito means it, Zero silently stood up from his seat, gave Kaito a friendly pat on the shoulder and went to retrieve his overcoat from the coat hanger by the door before he left his office with an amiable smile on his face.

It is good that some things never change.

* * *

_Even though we were freezing in the cold darkness, we continue to wander aimlessly in search of the exit to the deep and dark forest._

* * *

While sitting on the rug by the fireplace, Yuuki was going through the box of items that Cross Kaien had found in his residence recently. Apparently, the items in the box belonged to Yuuki when she was still a Day Class student in Cross Academy. Ever since Yuuki had left his guardianship, Kaien had packed her remaining belongings into a box and kept it in the attic. As time passed, he eventually forgot about its existence until he stumbled upon it in the attic, which was twenty-six years later.

After hearing the bespectacled man's explanation, Yuuki can't help but to laugh as she realized that only the chairman could be so forgetful. Nonetheless, as Yuuki was going through those items in the box, she was amazed that the items had not been as damaged by time as she had expected. Moreover, she felt sweetly nostalgic as she held those items in her hands.

Her Prefect's whistle, Prefect's white armband, some of her favorite novels and ...

Yuuki smiled tenderly as she took the item out of the box and held it on her lap with both hands. It was the photograph of the first day at high school for both herself and Zero, in which Yuuki's head was sticking up from Zero's shoulder with a jubilant twinkle in her eyes, while Zero had a stern expression on his face. She still remembered that time as though it had happened recently.

On that day, she had clung onto Zero's arm as she urged him to smile for the camera. In return, Zero had responded by asking her to let go of him, but she had childishly refused to do so by holding on tightly to his arm. While Zero looked troubled by her actions, Yuuki had noticed that Chairman Cross, who was holding the camera, was laughing silently at the sidelines.

**Back then, I am the one who had resolutely said that I will never let you go.**

**But ... that isn't really the case, is it?**

**In the end, it is you who never let me go...**

**... and I am glad that you didn't, Zero.**

**== 25 years ago... ==**

Yuuki stared listlessly into the flickering flames of the burning furnace. This furnace was where he rests, no, to be precise, this was where he will be forever. Her only family, her beloved older brother, Kuran Kaname.

In the first few moments after he had left her, she was unbearably sad and hurt by his passing. Then, the sadness had turned into anger... towards the Purebloods that had come to assault them at the Academy. With Artemis held firmly in her hand, she had rushed up towards the surface, determined to put a stop to the senseless battles that had claimed far too many lives. The only problem was that she had overlooked the fact that Artemis was already at its limit. With her weapon disintegrating into pieces, she would have lost her life if Zero had not appeared as he did.

Witnessing the overwhelming power of the reformed Bloody Rose and how it had selectively eradicated the enemy Purebloods and left the benevolent Purebloods unharmed, along with meeting the knowing look in Zero's mauve purple eyes, Yuuki knew deep within her heart that this was Kaname's doing. It was his last act of kindness to protect both humans and vampires.

**Why ...Why can't you care more about yourself instead of others?**

If circumstances had allowed it, she would have laughed at her own thoughts. After all, she knew full well that her brother was the kind of person to put other people's interests ahead of his own. No matter what he had done or said about himself, to Yuuki, Kaname was always a gentle and kind person, **always**.

"Yuuki."

It was Zero who had called her.

He had stood silently by the door of the furnace room, ever since the others had left the room in order to give her some space and time by herself. Knowing how much Kaname had meant to her, they were aware that no words could possibly console her or ease her grief towards his death. Even so, Zero couldn't bear to leave her on her own. Without a word, he had watched her lonely back ... until he could no longer watch in silence anymore.

"I am not going to run away anymore, but I am not doing this because of what he said. This is what I have decided for myself. This is my decision," he had said in a firm voice, but the following words were filled with a hint of pain and anxiety, "That's why, Yuuki, you too must make your own decision."

**My decision? What is there ... left for me to do?**

"It's alright to take your time to think about it. Knowing you, you would have a lot to think about because you would blame yourself for everything that had happened."

**But, it's true, isn't it? If I were stronger, I could have stopped this from happening. I could have found another way.**

"Geez."

Yuuki's auburn eyes widened in surprise when a pair of arms had wrapped themselves around her from behind and holding her closely against a warm form.

"Let it go, Yuuki. Let go of everything and say that you will come with me."

She could sense the desperation in Zero's voice and his firm hold. He was afraid of losing her, just like he always did in the past. But... why? Why is it that even now, after everything that had happened, after all the pain that she had caused him, she was still so important to him?

"It's alright if it takes you years or even a few decades to say it," he leaned his head on top of hers and held her closer to himself, "but please, please say it before I turn into dust from starvation."

**Why is it that when I had allowed myself to sink to the bottom, you are the one who had pulled me back to the surface?**

For the first time since the end of the battle, Yuuki allowed her tears to fall freely from her eyes.

**== Present day... ==**

Even so, Yuuki didn't stay together with Zero after that.

Instead, with the aid of the Night Class nobles and the support of Shouto Isaya, Yuuki had spent twenty years trying to fit in to her new role as a ruler of the vampire society. As she was adamant in carrying on the dreams of a peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires, she was still in contact with Zero from time to time through the Hunter's Association, which was led by Cross Kaien and Yagari Toga.

It was only after twenty-one years had passed since Kaname's death did Yuuki finally sorted out her feelings and decided to be together with Zero. Even though they were never officially wedded to one another due to their important positions within their respective society, they were perfectly contented with the fact that they could live together under the same roof.

Sometimes, it was hard to believe that they had been together for four years now.

Although they rarely saw each other now since Zero was appointed as the President of the Hunter's Association two years ago and Yuuki had recently passed most of the management of the vampire society to a newly-formed council that consisted of Aidou Hanabusa, Souen Ruka, Akatsuki Kain, Senri Shiki and Ichijou Takuma, this situation had not diminished their feelings for each other. Instead, it had further deepened their love for one another.

As the saying goes, "absence makes the heart grow fonder".

Just when Yuuki was thinking about Zero, she suddenly sensed his familiar presence a few paces away from their home. Knowing that he had returned from the Association, Yuuki hastily placed the photo frame and the other items back into the box before she stood up and walked out of the living room, eager to see him for the first time of the day. Just as she reached the entrance room, the entrance door clicked open and Zero's face came into view. When their eyes met, their lips had curled up to form a tender smile at the same time.

"Welcome home," greeted Yuuki as she stepped forward and gave Zero a quick kiss on the lips, followed by a bear hug.

As he embraced Yuuki in his arms and breathing in her familiar scent of sunlight and spring, Zero murmured in perfect contentment.

"I am home."

* * *

_Even though it was difficult, I believe that we will eventually escape the dark forest and the day when we could warm our frozen bodies under the warm light of the sun will come._

* * *

 

A couple of years later, Yuuki and Zero eventually had a daughter and a son.

One-hundred and forty-five years later, Aidou Hanabusa discovered and perfected a form of medication that could turn vampires into humans.

Five-hundred years after that discovery, the Kuran became the last existing Pureblood clan. The other Pureblood clans had either taken the medication to become human or had been eliminated by the Hunter's Association due to committing grievous offences towards humanity.

Having decided that their roles and responsibilities as leading figures of both the vampire and human society had been fulfilled, Yuuki and Zero had decided to take the medication and become humans since Yuuki's sincerest and most carefree moments were when she was living as a human in Cross Academy, while it has always been Zero's deepest wish to live and die as a human. Nonetheless, they allowed their children to decide for themselves the choice of either remaining as vampires or becoming humans. After becoming humans, Yuuki and Zero lived the rest of their mortal lives in utter peace and bliss.

After another two hundred years had passed, the anti-vampire weapons were no longer needed as the last Purebloods, who were Yuuki and Zero's children, had taken the medication and became humans.

Thus, the flame of the furnace can finally be extinguished.

* * *

_At the end of this long and endless journey ..._

* * *

 

As though he had just awakened from a long and endless dream, Kaname opened his eyes and found himself lying amidst a familiar green field.

"Kaname."

As he turned around towards the source of the voice, he saw a silhouette being illuminated by the radiant light of the rising sun at the horizon. His eyes widened in surprise as he instantly realized two things. Firstly, the sunlight did not burn his eyes or caused him any discomfort at all and secondly, he knows the identity of the silhouette.

"Kirie..."

After standing up on his feet, Kaname took an unsteady step forward and then another. Eventually, he sprinted towards the silhouette. As he held the lithe form of the hooded woman in his arms, a genuine smile crossed his lips, which mirrored the one on his beloved's face.

After countless separations and more than ten thousand years of being apart, the two ancestors of the vampire race are finally reunited. 

* * *

_... may you find the light that you seek._


End file.
